DoveTail Games: Vague, But Hopeful, Details on the Next Flight Simulator

[z06z33 763]

I like to know everything lol and after the disappointment that was flight I'd rather not get excited about a program that may suck.

[HiFlyer 9,363]

I like to know everything lol and after the disappointment that was flight I'd rather not get excited about a program that may suck.

 

Honestly, I think they are smart to play some cards close to their vests. People can get very excited in this hobby, and lynch mobs form all too easily. I would rather not release information that a crowd of people then have months to dissect and flame.

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

We currently see this from PMDG and ORBX. These forums are like rabid dogs and I don't blame them for not proactively taking part anymore. They now only release screenshots and details at final beta testing stages, wouldn't be surprised if DTG does the same. It is kind of like going out after dark in a place like Baltimore, you just don't do it.

[Joe Flyer2 3]

We currently see this from PMDG and ORBX. These forums are like rabid dogs and I don't blame them for not proactively taking part anymore. They now only release screenshots and details at final beta testing stages, wouldn't be surprised if DTG does the same. It is kind of like going out after dark in a place like Baltimore, you just don't do it.

 

Well, that's kind of what I was trying to say. I was saying how I (personally) like to anticipate things, but that's just a matter of preference. But I thought I clearly mentioned that it might be too early to release details, anyway .

 

But yes, DTG will probably do that, and that does not make me angry in anyway. Most companies, as I stated, like to do that to have a "surprise" of sorts.

 

*And I apologize if I seemed like, um, a rabid dog. :Raised Eyebrow:

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

.

*And I apologize if I seemed like, um, a rabid dog. :Raised Eyebrow:

No worries, I do recall the autumn of 1997 when I must have called every software store in the city asking 'Do you have the new Flight Simulator 98???'

I must have drove people crazy. I am older now and 2006 was when FSX came out so I am no longer in a hurry for the latest release, I am over it at this point.

 

When DTG gets whatever they are working on in good working order hopefully we get back to a new release every two years like we used to have it, this has been long overdue but obviously going to take more time.

[TheFlightSimGuy 514]

DTG's release will be targeted at their distributor's target market? (Steam gamers?) or not?

 

 

Steam is much more than a "gamer" platform. It is now the largest software distribution platform out there. Larger than Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon.

 

From advanced PC bench-marking such as Futuremark, to video editing with Sony Movie Studio, to Animation and Modeling with AutoDesk Maya. Steam is a general digital marketplace, and just as any software retailer, gaming makes up a large portion of their sales. 

 

Steam allows the publisher to efficiently market their product to the masses, autonomously update and even roll back their software, efficiently collect bug and crash data along with usage data, and provide a unified library for add-ons purchased with an automated installer. 

 

People used to think i-tunes was just for kids who want to listen to pop music, but now there isn't a publisher in existence that doesn't sell on their marketplace. So I wouldnt let the clear choice for software distribution get mixed up with a singular definition of its broader utility. 

 

 

Honestly, I think they are smart to play some cards close to their vests. People can get very excited in this hobby, and lynch mobs form all too easily. I would rather not release information that a crowd of people then have months to dissect and flame.

 

 

I agree, I mean just look at this thread and others on the subject. Mostly pages of banter because of a press release that simply said its coming in 2016. Somehow that turned into a bunch of armchair devs, business executives, and aeronautic scholars speaking of a "definite" future that they know nothing about. If I was DTG I wouldn't continue to fuel any speculation as long as so much of the community of self proclaimed "professional simmers" acts so unprofessional. . 

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

The argument that something sold on Steam makes it a game is a bad one. When FSX was first released it was sold at retailers that also sold Barbie Dolls, and no one said anything about that, so why are people pointing a finger at Steam all of a sudden! Geeze people it is just a retailer, get over it.

[HiFlyer 9,363]

The argument that something sold on Steam makes it a game is a bad one.

 

 

The misapprehensions about Steam have persisted so long that its beginning to seem a bit willful......... Even obstinate.

[Joe Flyer2 3]

The argument that something sold on Steam makes it a game is a bad one. When FSX was first released it was sold at retailers that also sold Barbie Dolls, and no one said anything about that, so why are people pointing a finger at Steam all of a sudden! Geeze people it is just a retailer, get over it.

I agree.

I agree, I mean just look at this thread and others on the subject. Mostly pages of banter because of a press release that simply said its coming in 2016. Somehow that turned into a bunch of armchair devs, business executives, and aeronautic scholars speaking of a "definite" future that they know nothing about. If I was DTG I wouldn't continue to fuel any speculation as long as so much of the community of self proclaimed "professional simmers" acts so unprofessional.

 

Now, when I started this thread, I didn't expect it to get this much attention, and I didn't intend for this much speculation to occur, because as we know, with large speculation comes a mix-up of the story. Also, I would be careful on your choice of words, because I'm sure the majority of the community would frown at being called "unprofessional." Just a heads up.

 

But on the note of unprofessional, you bring to mind an important topic to me that does kind of have to do with my original post.

 

Here it goes:

 

When the FSX community first gathered up and people  such as Tom Allensworth (God bless his soul) started AVSIM, the community was a group of professionals in their respective fields because very few people understood the mechanics of Flight Simulation. The internet brought together those people who wanted to spread their knowledge and learn more. Fast-forward through the many years up to the end of 2014. The community was hundreds of thousands of members strong, with honestly intelligent people willing to lend their hand.

 

And then Dovetail releases FSX:SE on Steam. The community reaches new horizons, gaining numbers. But with these new numbers came something else... people who only intended to use FSX as a game, not a simulator... people who use the Multiplayer sessions to act like total doofuses... people who troll around, not caring to learn the most basic functions of FSX.

 

Now, I'm not saying a larger community is a bad thing, because that means more money for the many companies that invest time (and $$$) into FSX. What I'm saying is that a large portion (NOT all) of this new crowd is inexperienced and, as you put it, unprofessional. I mean everyone started that way, but this is different. As a repercussion, I fear that that Flight Simulator, to this new crowd, will appear to be nothing more than a child's game. That is my fear. With this, simulators would not be appreciated as much as I'd personally hope, which may have the potential to kill off the hobby. That scares me.

 

Thanks to sites like AVSIM, there is still a burning passion for Simulators across the board. But with the upcoming Flight Simulator from Dovetail, I'm hoping for more than a "cheap arcade game," as some described Microsoft Flight (I personally loved Flight in some aspects, by the way). Rather, I'm hoping for something that displays, even a little, the true art and beauty that air travel -- aviation -- really is.

 

That is my hope.

[HiFlyer 9,363]

The problem is that after reading enough threads over enough time (and actually not all that many or for that long) a not very subtle brand of elitism emerges when you hear people on forums like this describe those who don't quiver at the joys of programming an FMC.

 

Various euphemisms and shorthand are used that tends to paint anyone who doesn't employ the sim(s) in the "accepted" manner for the "accepted" reasons as just short of knuckle-draggers.

 

Its so widespread, that some people seem to have no idea how offputting it can sound, or why such attitudes carried to the logical extreme over a long enough period lead (I believe) almost inevitably to nichedom.

 

In coming out with its new offering, I don't envy DTG at all the task of creating a product attractive to a wide enough audience to be profitable to its creator, while not suffering through a riot in some venues for the crime of violating accepted orthodoxy and/or of being fun and entertaining for average users.

[Wobbie 938]

Well, as far as using the programs in an acceptable manner, we are using FS9 in about 20 PC's at our academy, we we, Cape Virtual, look after & mentor 60 kids, 30 seniors & 30 juniors as part of our 'Young Falcons' project. They get lectures & do practicals with the sim. We are also using FS9 in 2x sims we have built, an Avro Shackleton & an Aeromacchi MB 326, known as an 'Impala' trainer here in South Africa.

 

So, why we using FS9? Apart from havong those aircraft available for the sim, as well as suitable localised scenery, FS9 is pretty much bullet proof & you can throw anything at it & it runs on virtually any PC. The PC's that we are using are donations & about 5-6 years old now.

 

So, we are waiting patiently to see what DTG will give us, & if it is going to be a workable replacement for what we have. Do we need all the bells & whistles, raindrops, 64bit etc? No, we need something immersive, balanced with realism, of course, like we have with FS9!

[alpha12125 213]

The problem is that after reading enough threads over enough time (and actually not all that many or for that long) a not very subtle brand of elitism emerges when you hear people on forums like this describe those who don't quiver at the joys of programming an FMC.

 https://xkcd.com/915/

 

This describes perfectly what you feel   Especially the "demands" of an interview

[HiFlyer 9,363]

 https://xkcd.com/915/

 

This describes perfectly what you feel   Especially the "demands" of an interview

 

Pretty much..........

[RichLP 32]

Various euphemisms and shorthand are used that tends to paint anyone who doesn't employ the sim(s) in the "accepted" manner for the "accepted" reasons as just short of knuckle-draggers.

 

And I freely admit to being one of those knuckle-draggers!

 

The good thing is, to Microsoft in the past, and possibly DTG in the future, my money is just as good as anyone else's!

 

Hopefully, in the end, DTG will offer a product that appeals to we knuckle-draggers, and the more enlightened species as well...

[Joe Flyer2 3]

+HiFlyer You have an immaculate set of vocabulary.

 

Also, I didn't mean to come across the wrong way, but I was talking based off of more personal experiences.

 

My point was a little deeper than you might have noticed. What I was trying to say was that the more crowds and horizons Flight Simulator reaches, the lower and lower I feel the bar will be set for the quality and functionality of things, or at least that's my personal take from it. But what's truly immersive about the Flight simulator series (particularly FS9 and FSX) is that it has a range from simple, new flyers, up to the more experienced flyers who want the full rundown.

 

So for us "FMC Programmers" (mind you), we do enjoy the more detailed things that FSX has to offer. I am NOT saying reaching new crowds of people is a bad thing... I am not trying to indicate that. I am just saying that in some scenarios, having such might be detrimental to the overall sim. In other words, the sim might become more generic for simplicity's sake for coding (over time), and then for us FMC Programmers (mind you again), we wouldn't have the functionality we once had without paying even more money for extra payware addons.

 

By the way: I get the impression that I'm coming across as a real stickler when it comes to following aircraft procedures. I am NOT that kind of person. When it comes down to it, if I'm in a real plane I'd (of course) follow procedures. But even for me, there are many times in FSX where I just want to flyyy without the hassle of these procedures. Sometimes I want to experiment with Naval operations. Sometimes I just take a scenic route.

 

 

*So know this: I am not degrading this crowd of people ("knuckle-draggers" as you say). I just appreciate the beauty and evolution of code and technology, and I hate to see any of it go to waste on something as revolutionary and with as much potential as Flight Simulators.

 

From,

Joe N.